Crisis Control: Will you please shut up?

What is your first reaction to overwhelming news? What do you do when something happens that could be disastrous? After reading 2 Chronicles 20 I'm reminded that I need to shut up and follow this guide, rather than my own. This has an amazing story describing how God wants us to respond when we are hit with terrible news.

First Reaction:
"Jehoshaphat was alarmed by this news and sought the Lord for guidance." (v.3a)

How many times is my first reaction to bad news to grab my cell phone, or shut down and just think, or scream "are you freaking kidding me?". The first thing that Jeho did was seek the Lord for guidance.

Second Reaction:
"He also gave orders that everyone throughout Judah should observe a fast." (v. 3b)

I think when things go bad I do the opposite...eat, eat, eat...which could also be described as...escape, escape, escape... Jeho grabbed godly people and said, we're going to attack this thing head on in the spiritual realm first, and fast before God.

Third Reaction:
"He prayed, 'O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven...You are powerful and mighty; no once can stand against you!'" (v. 6)

His prayer began with exaltation and magnification of who God truly is: ALL POWERFUL. He didn't cry out some "woah is me" prayer - he declared the greatness of God.

Fourth Reaction:
"And now see what the [enemy armies] are doing...Now see how...they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us an inheritance...O our God, won't you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help." (v.10-12)

How often have I tried to figure out how to fix the problem using my giftings, personality, and strategies, when God is looking to show HIMSELF strong by acting on our behalf, rather than me looking to show MYSELF strong, as if I have the ability on my own to control a crisis.

The results:
read it for yourself...it's amazing.

The results of doing it with your strategy instead:
read it for yourself...it's horrible.

so, how will I respond next time a crisis occurs? It's up to me to follow the pattern of God.